There has been a large response to my P90X Review, and many have asked about the P90X nutritional supplements. When I purchased P90X, I did not try any of the supplements offered for the program. However, I recently was able to try out two of the nutritional supplements offered when I received my copy of P90X Plus (I will be reviewing it shortly): the P90X Peak Recovery Formula, and the P90X Peak Performance Bars.
The P90X Peak Recovery Formula is a powder mix that you add to 12 fl. oz. of water. The workout plan advises participants to utilize it during and after a workout, much the same way that on-the-shelf standards like Gatorade are advertised. I'm not a huge fan of Gatorade, or it's second cousins of sports drinks out there on the market. I think I may have burned myself out on them with my overly long marathon training. I just don't like the taste.
It's for that reason that I am rather surprised to report that I don't hate the taste of the P90X Peak Recovery Formula drink. As a matter of fact, it sort of reminded me of an Orange Julius with a hint of Tang. I know, I'm dating myself mentioning Tang, but I used to love it as a kid. There was nothing quite like walking around with an orange tongue in second grade. It was a social status thing, I think.
As far as Orange Julius goes, I loved them. I loved them so much, I ended up with brain freeze on a regular basis (if you have had an Orange Julius, you'll understand.) So, combining the two tastes, heavier on the Orange Julius than the Tang, was a nice surprise. I liked it. Not only did I like it, but my husband did too... and he ran off with it and didn't give it back. So, I'm going to report that he gave it a thumbs up as well.
Once my husband had gotten into my P90X goodies, he also found my P90X Peak Performance Bars. I had to pry them away from him, and then finally bargained him down to splitting them so we could both try them (and telling him repeatedly that no, I did not have more recovery drink. No, I'm not hiding it from him. Focus please?) We had both the Berry and the Cafe Mocha flavors.
Now, I may have recently found coffee drinking not as horrible as I normally do, but the truth is that I am just not a fan of coffee flavored anything. My husband, however, loves coffee. So, I only tried a small bite, but he ate the whole thing. He really liked the Cafe Mocha bar. But even more, he and I agree that the Berry flavor of the P90X Peak Performance Bars is excellent.
The texture isn't hard like some of those bars out there. It's more like... a cereal bar. I used to love Nutrigrain Cereal Bars, the blueberry in particular. The P90X Peak Performance Bars are very similar, not only in texture, but a little bit in taste too. The berry flavor was excellent, and not barely there as the flavors in some bars are. This was something I would have again.
That being said, the P90X Peak Performance Bars are 260 calories, 6g fat, 37g carb, and 18 protein. That's a LOT for a snack for most women. Or it's low for a meal (you shouldn't be having a bar for a meal anyway. Don't do it.) So watch the caloric intake and make sure you are in line with your goals. If you are at a level of maintenance, it may not be a problem. It's really going to depend on you.
The P90X Peak Recovery Formula drink is 220 calories, with 1g fat, 43 g carb, and 10g protein. Why is it high in carb and lower on the protein? Because it's a recovery formula, and your body wants those carbs to recover quick. But it needs the protein too, and it's in there. I should also add that the mix has 1,330% of your daily value of Vitamin E, and 750% of Vitamin C, as well as 60% of your Vitamin A.
Why point this out? Because if you are taking other vitamins and supplements you need to know how much. You CAN take too much in certain instances. So be aware and do your research to find out what you are taking and what is in the food you consume. This is the case with anything you eat that is "fortified", you can easily take in way too much of a certain nutrient and studies are now showing that some of these can have adverse effects. No one is going to police your intake but you, and so many things are fortified now, from breakfast cereals and orange juice to pasta and milk.
So, all in all - minus the coffee flavor (but hey, if you like that then my husband says it's good) I liked both the P90X Peak Recovery Formula drink and the P90X Peak Performance Bars.
Friday, February 08, 2008
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4 comments:
hey, thanks a lot for both your reviews (of p90x and the supplements) they were really helpful!
I just had a few questions I hope you could help me with...
see I am on the cusp of starting this program and wanted to do it all the way 100% correct which to me also means using their multivitamins and recovery formula (i am not a fan of any bars, I have the ability to use real food or protein shakes so just don't see the point)
BUT
you mentioned the over-kill factor and it seems like there is a lot of crossover and that by taking their multivitamins AND recovery shake I will be overloading on quite a few things...
what do you think?
what do the p90x people have to say about this (since they are in contact with you)?
I know its a business and they are in it for money and we are supposed to know what we are putting in our bodies and regulate all that BUT shouldn't the supplements of their program be designed to all work together as a cohesive whole and not overlap to a negative extent?
Please help!!!
I was going to add a question about P90x itself but I remember reading in your other blog that I should check the comments so I'll do that first...
thanks a bunch
I am not in contact with any people at Beachbody (the couple who have emailed me have actually been very nasty to me - I am NOT impressed with their company.) So as far as what they recommend about supplements and the crossover effect, I have no idea.
I would just look at some of the nutritional information. If you are getting 100% iron from a supplement and then use a drink that gives you another 100%, that would be a warning flag. That kind of thing. Some supplements are ok to take more than the 100% value (Like vitamin C) and others are not.
Can I just say though, if you have the ability and willingness to use real food, this is preferable to anything else?
It would be my guess that the recovery shake and their multivitamins don't cross over too badly. But I haven't seen or used theirs (Why use their multivitamin when you can buy a much cheaper but good one from the grocery store?)
I think where people need to be really careful is taking those things and then eating fortified bread, juice, cereal, pasta, and so on. Suddenly you are getting a million % more than you were supposed to.
Just check out the stats and see what you think. :) Good luck to you!
I have found most things about P90X reliable. I just received my P90x kit and in it was the recovery formula. I compared it's formula to one I am now taking. I was surprised to find the P90X was mostly fructose. 36g in every serving(8-9 tsp. of sugar). That's almost as much as a can of coke (11 tsp. of sugar). Your body can not process that much sugar without bad consequences. Fructose is good in the amounts it comes from fruit but not as a sugar additive, and it does not replace glycogen stores in the muscles as does maltodextrin. You could get the same results from the recovery formula with a multi vit, scoop of protein powder and wash it down with a coke. When I contacted P90x about this they have been very evasive and have not gotten back to me on this. Tony H's 11 steps to fitness says to watch what you put in your body. READ LABLES. I wouldn't trust their supplement lines.
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